


Photo Manipulation

by angeleledhwen (kallistei), eledhwen (kallistei)



Series: Charmed [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-12-15
Updated: 2002-12-15
Packaged: 2018-02-07 04:59:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1885959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kallistei/pseuds/angeleledhwen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kallistei/pseuds/eledhwen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas is a time for giving and receiving, or so they say.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Photo Manipulation

**Author's Note:**

> December 15th 2002 entry for the Slash Advent Calendar. Obviously, a little dated. A few minor edits while archiving here, to fit it to the prequel.

A few weeks before the start of the Christmas holidays, Harry was searching for his last clean white shirt. Having gone through his own wardrobe in a vain hunt for it, he was currently in the process of looking through Severus’. While his lover of the last several months was famously territorial in regards to his personal space, Harry wasn’t prepared to appear in the Great Hall bare-chested. He’d much rather take his chances with Severus than experience the sensation that would cause.

Harry muttered to himself as he examined Severus' clothing. “Black robe, black trousers, black waistcoat, another black robe. Ooh! White shirt. Not mine. Darn. Drawers maybe?” Underwear (black), socks (black), shoes (black), ice skates (black and silver).

Ice skates? A puzzled frown crossed his face as he tried to figure out why on earth Severus owned a pair of ice skates. He continued to go through the contents of Severus' drawers with fading hope as he pondered.

“Looking for something, Harry?” Damn, busted.

‘You’re not supposed to be back until lunchtime!’ thought Harry indignantly.

“Uh. Yes?” he replied, beginning to edge towards the door, ready to bolt for safety if it became necessary.

“And what might that be?”

“My, erm, my white shirt?”

“And why would it be in my wardrobe if it is your shirt?”

“Well, a… a mistake?”

Harry was treated to the eyebrow. “Indeed?”

“Yes.”

“I assume you have looked on the bed with the rest of your clothing, for example?”

“Erm…” Harry looked over. Oops. “Sorry?”

“I should hope you are.”

Oh good. Severus was in a relatively decent mood, or Harry would have been quite dead by this point. “Um, question?”

“Yes, Harry?”

“Why do you have a pair of ice skates?”

“Why would anyone have a pair of ice skates?”

“You mean you know how to skate?”

“Don’t you?”

“Actually, no.”

“Hmm.”

Harry knew from experience that tone, with that expression, was generally a very bad – or very good – omen.

***

Christmas Day. Harry woke Severus early with a thorough kiss, and laughed at the half-awake glare he was gifted in return.

“Merry Christmas.”

“I would find it far merrier if you’d let me sleep in peace. Damned Muggle holidays.” Severus grumbled quite charmingly, Harry thought.

Harry pouted.

“Fine. Merry Christmas to you too. Happy now?”

“Ecstatic.”

“Prove it.”

***

A while later, finally showered and dressed, they made it to the living room. Harry had managed to persuade Severus to let them have one small Christmas tree in their rooms. He counted it a victory and decided to try for more next year. Decorating it had been an extremely interesting experience. Tinsel, it turned out, had uses other than merely as Christmas decoration.

“Well?”

Harry gave Severus a questioning look.

“Your lack of observational skills never fails to amaze me.”

Harry spotted the green and silver wrapped box under the tree. “Oh.”

Severus rolled his eyes. Harry kissed him. He hadn’t actually expected anything from Severus, even if they had been living together for the last three months. When he finally broke away, he spoke.

“There’s something for you too.”

“I know.”

Harry was deeply amused by the way Severus tore into his present. He would have pegged his lover as the type to unwrap it meticulously and quite probably re-use the paper, but apparently it was not so. Eventually, from the layers of packaging, he managed to uncover a smallish circular object with various wires dangling off it and looked at in bemusement.

“Very… interesting.”

“It’s a Discman – a CD player.”

“See… dee… player?”

Harry fought with and beat back a smile. “It plays music from those little silvery discs – CDs. I’ll show you how to use it later.” He’d discovered early on that Severus was deeply fond of music and had decided it was time to introduce him to more modern Muggle music. Of course there were a few classical recordings in the selection he’d included as well.

“Ah.” A pause, then a slightly unsure “Thank you.”

From his own parcel, Harry extracted a white cardboard box. Lifting off the lid, he found a pair of admittedly rather handsome ice-skates. A shiver of apprehension went down his spine as he realised what Severus had in mind.

“They’re… very nice.”

Severus demonstrated a positively satanic smile involving an inordinate number of teeth. “I’m sure you’ll change your mind soon.”

Harry was quite convinced he would.

***

Harry tried not to think of what the students would say if they were to see them – their severe, sombre Potions master attempting to teach their Charms professor how to ice-skate. Thankfully there weren’t many students at the school over Christmas this year, and the few that were had better sense than to be out looking at the frozen-over lake. A very good thing too. Harry knew he’d never hear the last of it if they saw him now – completely dishevelled, falling on his arse every few minutes with Severus smirking at his failure in that incredibly irritating manner of his.

“Try again, Harry.”

“For goodness sake Severus, would you get out of teaching mode for just a little while and give me some sympathy?”

“Perhaps you have me confused with someone else. Sympathy is not my forte.”

“Oh. My mistake.”

“Isn’t it always?”

Harry stuck his tongue out childishly and refused to get up until he got some pity. Severus sighed dramatically and glided elegantly over on his skates. The damned man looked even better on them than he did sweeping through the Hogwarts corridors in his robes.

“Do you want to take a break?”

“Yes,” replied Harry, with extreme emphasis. Severus offered him a hand up. Harry decided that was all the sympathy he was going to get and took it.

“You do know that I’m not going to let you go back inside until you can skate, don’t you?”

Harry sighed. “There’s got to be a spell or something to make it easier.”

That evil smile again. “Actually, no.”

Harry growled.

Fifteen minutes later, they were back on the ice

***

“Owie. Ow ow,” Harry proclaimed vehemently as he limped gingerly down the stairs to the dungeon.

“Oh, stop being such a baby.”

“Severus, I have bruises in places I didn’t even know could bruise. Not even the last battle against Voldemort left me in this much pain. Don’t you dare accuse me of being a baby.”

“Look on the bright side – now you can skate a little.”

“Oooh. Impressive. I can skate a whole three inches without falling over. Excuse me while I go shout the joyous news from the rooftops. Maybe I should even owl the Daily Prophet. It’s sure to be headline news.” He added another ‘ow’ for emphasis and had the realisation that Severus was definitely a bad influence.

“Oh.” Sev was wearing the expression he had when he came across a particularly interesting problem, the one that boded ill for the problem in question. “If you’re not satisfied with your progress, I’m sure I can fit in another lesson tomorrow.”

Damn.

***

Boxing Day. Also, as it happened, a year since they'd (involuntarily) come out as a couple to their (well, Harry's) friends. This morning Harry woke Severus with a kiss and a “Happy Anniversary”.

Severus gave him the patented ‘Stop being such a sentimental fool, Harry’ look.

Harry sulked, and Severus relented. It was getting to be a daily routine.

“Want me to show you how to use the Discman?”

“I seem to remember promising to give you another skating lesson.”

“Oh well, you know, I don’t mind.”

“Now Harry, I know I told you that I always keep my promises.”

Well, it had been worth a try.

***

Harry was so engrossed in attempting to master his skates that he didn’t even notice the figure creeping cautiously out of the trees to one side of the lake. Severus, standing opposite Harry a short distance away, was similarly absorbed in watching his progress and so was unusually unobservant. Just as Harry managed to skate, unaided, the distance they’d decided on and collapsed, laughing and victorious, into Severus’ arms, they were shocked by the flash of a camera bulb.

“Perfect!” came a voice Harry recognised, and he freed himself from Severus’ arms, turning to face the holder of the camera who was smiling faintly sheepishly.

“Colin! What are you doing back here?”

“I was working yesterday, so I thought I’d come and surprise Kath because I’m free today.” Kathleen Edwards was Colin’s fiancée and the new flying instructor at Hogwarts, recruited when Madam Hooch, of all people, had turned out to be a supporter of Voldemort, although not an active Death Eater.

“Anyway, you two made such a wonderful composition, I couldn’t resist.” It was really no surprise that Colin was now a photographer for the Daily Prophet. “I’ll make a copy for you if you’d like.”

“Please.”

Severus said nothing, which Harry interpreted to mean he didn’t mind the idea. In fact, it was almost certain, since if he had minded, Colin would probably be a gibbering heap about now.

“Great! I’ll owl it to you in a couple of days, okay?”

“Sure.”

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your skating lesson, then. Good luck, Harry! Professor Snape.” Colin nodded and wandered off in the direction of the castle, camera hanging around his neck.

“So was that good enough?”

“Acceptable, I suppose.”

“A little enthusiasm, please? I’ve just about learned to skate in two days!”

Severus leaned closer, seriously invading Harry’s personal space. “Well done, Harry,” he said in a low, intimate tone that really ought to be illegal outside the bedroom. Then he kissed him, in public. Not that there was anyone there, but it was the thought that counted.

“Much better,” said Harry once he’d got his breath back.

***

The photo arrived from Colin a few days later. Harry had it framed and placed it on the centre of the mantelpiece one morning without asking for Severus’ approval. When he returned to the room in the evening, it hadn’t been moved. The photo-Harry waved cheerfully at him, as photo-Severus glowered. Photo-Harry kissed photo-Severus and dragged him off into the trees at the edge of the photo, Severus protesting all the way.

Harry hummed happily to himself as he wandered into the bedroom, wondering absently where all his shirts had gotten to. Maybe it was time to have another look in Severus’ wardrobe. Who knew what he’d find.


End file.
